Stories tagged with: lifeway

NASHVILLE (BP) -- In light of "an accelerated rate of erosion" at "brick-and-mortar" stores, LifeWay Christian Resources President Thom Rainer has announced that some LifeWay stores will be closing. The number of stores to close and the timing of those closures has not been announced.

Rainer wrote in a Jan. 15 email to all LifeWay employees, "We prayed and hoped that our investments in and commitments to the LifeWay stores would prove fruitful. That just has not been the case. To the contrary, we not only continue to see an erosion in the brick-and-mortar channel, we have seen an accelerated rate of erosion in recent months. It was our hope that greater traffic would result in greater sales, and that with our expense reductions and product cost savings, we would be able to offset sales declines. That hope has not been realized with the declines we have seen since September. Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Today's high school graduate is faced with an abundance of choices. Go to college or enter the workforce? Dorm life, apartment life or mom and dad's basement? But no decision may be as important as whether to continue attending church.

A study from LifeWay Research and LifeWay Students, released today (Jan. l5), reveals that two out of three young adults who attend a Protestant church for at least a year in high school will stop attending church regularly for at least a year between ages 18-22.

"Within Reach: The Power of Small Changes in Keeping Students Connected," a new book ... Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Church pews may be full of teenagers, but a study released Tuesday (Jan. 15) suggests college students might be a much rarer sight on Sunday mornings.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22, according to a study from LifeWay Research. Thirty-four percent say they continued to attend twice a month or more.

While the 66 percent may be troubling for many church leaders, the numbers may appear ... Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Most Americans want more religious meaning to the Christmas season, and for some that includes the seasonal greetings we say to each other.

A new study from LifeWay Research found two-thirds of Americans (65 percent) say, "Christmas should be more about Jesus."

Those looking for more Christ in Christmas in 2018, however, are significantly fewer than four years ago. A 2014 LifeWay Research study found 79 percent of Americans at that time said Christmas should be more about Jesus.

While similar numbers registered disagreement with the statement in 2014 and 2018 (18 and 19 percent respectively), the percentage who said they were unsure if Christmas should be more about Jesus jumped from 3 percent four years ago to 16 percent today. Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- According to Genesis, God created everything in six days before resting on the seventh. But around a quarter of churchgoers say they don't follow His example, according to a study released today (Dec. 4).

Seventy-seven percent of churchgoers say they take an intentional day of rest and most do so on Sunday, according to a new study of Protestants who attend church once a month or more from LifeWay Research. The survey was conducted Aug. 22-30, 2017.

Seven in 10 churchgoers take their Sabbath on Sunday. Few take it on Saturday (5 percent), Friday (1 percent) or Monday (1 percent). For 23 percent, they don't take a day of rest. Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Jake McEntire was a movie-minded student at Dallas Baptist University in 2004 when he felt God leading him to write a film script. Thanks to prodding from a few friends -- and lots of prayer -- McEntire finally did so.

McEntire's 14-year-old screenplay becomes reality Feb. 22 when "Run the Race" is released in theaters. Former NFL and college football player Tim Tebow and his brother Robby served as executive producers, while Chris Dowling (Where Hope Grows) directed it. The WTA Group, a company that helped market "I Can Only Imagine," also was involved. Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Most churchgoers say the Bible teaches against drunkenness. But that doesn't stop about 4 in 10 from taking a drink now and then, a study released Tuesday (Nov. 27) shows.

While 41 percent of Protestant churchgoers say they consume alcohol, 59 percent say they do not. That's a slight shift from 10 years ago, according to the LifeWay Research survey, which was conducted Aug. 22-30, 2017.

In a 2007 phone survey by LifeWay Research, 39 percent of Protestant churchgoers said yes they consumed alcohol while 61 percent said no. Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- LifeWay Christian Resources is ranked as one of the top companies in the nation for customer service by Newsweek magazine.

LifeWay landed at No. 1 for brick and mortar bookstores on Newsweek's list of America's Best Customer Service 2019 -- the first time the magazine has published rankings in this category.

"We are honored to receive this recognition from Newsweek," LifeWay President and CEO Thom S. Rainer said. "Being included on this list underscores the value LifeWay places on its customers and highlights the excellence of our employees as they live out LifeWay's ... Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- A Bible study curriculum for urban, multicultural environments -- simply titled YOU -- is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The team that produces the resource is remembering the past while continuing to look to the future.

LifeWay Christian Resources first published the quarterly YOU curriculum in the fall of 2008 as a way to minister to those who were underrepresented in LifeWay's content and product offerings, said Beverly Sonnier, content editor for YOU.

"It came out of a desire to create a curriculum specifically designed to meet the needs of African Americans, urban, multicultural individuals and churches," Sonnier said.

At the time, Mark Croston was president of the Southern Baptist Convention's National African American Fellowship, encompassing more than 4,000 predominately African American churches. Read More

Formed in 1946 by the Southern Baptist Convention, and supported with Cooperative Program funds, Baptist Press (BP) is a daily (M-F) international news wire service. Operating from a central bureau in Nashville, Tenn., BP works with four partnering bureaus (Richmond, Va.; Atlanta, Ga.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Washington, D.C.), as well as with a large network of contributing writers, photographers and editorial providers, to produce BP News.